Matt Pinnell

Matt Pinnell
17th Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma
Incumbent
Assumed office January 14, 2019
Governor	Kevin Stitt
Preceded by	Todd Lamb
1st Oklahoma Secretary of Tourism and Branding
In office January 18, 2019 – March 1, 2024
Governor	Kevin Stitt
Preceded by	Position established
Chair of the Oklahoma Republican Party
In office June 26, 2010 – April 20, 2013
Preceded by	Gary Jones
Succeeded by	Dave Weston[1]
Personal details
Born	(1979-08-15) August 15, 1979 (age 45) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Lisa Pinnell
Children	4
Education	Oral Roberts University (BA)

Philip Matthew Pinnell (born August 15, 1979) is an American politician serving as the 17th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma, since 2019. Pinnell is also serving as the first Oklahoma Secretary of Tourism & Branding.^[2][3] Pinnell is a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and career

Pinnell graduated from Metro Christian Academy in Tulsa, Oklahoma,^[4] and Oral Roberts University.^[5][6] He served as chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party from 2010 to 2013.^[7] He then worked for the Republican National Committee as the National State Party Director.^[8] Pinnell also worked on a campaign for former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt.^[9]

Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma

On April 20, 2017, Pinnell announced his candidacy for the office of lieutenant governor.^[10] On June 26, 2018, Pinnell finished in the top two in the Republican primary election, and he and Dana Murphy advanced to a runoff election,^[11] in which Pinnell defeated Murphy.^[9] Pinnell defeated Democratic candidate Anastasia Pittman in the lieutenant gubernatorial election on November 6.^[12] Pinnell was sworn in on January 14, 2019.^[13]

On January 18, 2019, Governor Kevin Stitt selected Pinnell to serve as the first Oklahoma Secretary of Tourism and Branding, wherein he oversees the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation.^[14] Stitt separated the departments of Tourism and Commerce to be their own stand-alone agencies.^[15] He resigned as Secretary of Tourism and Branding on March 1, 2024.^[16]

Controversies

In June 2023, after severe storms hit parts of Oklahoma that involved hurricane-force winds and tornadic activity that knocked out power for days for more than 100,000 energy customers during severe heat waves, Pinnell did not inform Greg Treat that he was the acting Governor who could declare a state of emergency, which Treat eventually did days after the event.^[17] Treat was not informed ahead of time he was acting Governor while Stitt was in Paris and Pinnell was also out of state.^[18] Stitt had not responded to Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum's calls for assistance.^{[19] [20] [21] [22] [23]} However, six days after the event, Stitt was saying he was in contact with Bynum^[24] and Bynum redirected attentions elsewhere from the story.^[25] At least three people died from the storms.^[26]

Personal life

Pinnell and his wife, Lisa, have four children.^[27]

References

1. "Oklahoma Republicans elect new leaders". The Oklahoman. April 21, 213. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
2. Scavelli, Melissa (January 24, 2019). "Governor Kevin Stitt releases his first executive orders". KOKH. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
3. "Stitt names Matt Pinnell as Secretary of Tourism". Tulsa Beacon. January 24, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
4. Morris, Brad (October 22, 2012). "Young with heart". TulsaPeople Magazine. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
5. "Trump job speculation now includes former Oklahoma Republican party chairman". The Oklahoman. November 14, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
6. "Young Republican Matt Pinnell presides over Oklahoma party's growth". The Oklahoman. August 27, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
7. "Minds at work: Pinnell jabs 'Organizing for America,' Odom looks at November". Archived from the original on March 28, 2018.
8. Baron, Cydney (March 9, 2018). "'Mr. Fix It' vying for Lt. Governor seat". Claremore Daily Progress. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
9. "Pinnell wins GOP nomination for lieutenant governor". The Oklahoman. August 28, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
10. "Matt Pinnell For Lt. Governor". Matt Pinnell for Lieutenant Governor. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
11. "Murphy, Pinnell headed to runoff in lieutenant governor's race". The Oklahoman. June 27, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
12. Ellis, Ashley (November 6, 2018). "Republican Matt Pinnell to be Oklahoma's Lieutenant Governor". KTUL. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
13. Krehbiel, Randy Krehbiel (January 14, 2019). "Kevin Stitt sworn in as Oklahoma's 28th governor Monday". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
14. "Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell - Home". www.ok.gov. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
15. Barbara Hoberock (January 18, 2019). "Stitt taps Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell as secretary for Tourism and Branding". Tulsa World. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
16. Greco, Jonathan (March 1, 2024). "Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell steps down from role in cabinet as secretary of workforce development". KOCO. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
17. Sandoval, Edgar; Jones, Judson (June 21, 2023). "Extreme Heat and More Storms Threaten an Already Battered Oklahoma". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
18. Osborne, Deon (June 20, 2023). "Gov. Stitt delays declaring state of emergency: Process or politics?". The Black Wall Street Times. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
19. Ferguson, Kevin Severin, Tom (June 20, 2023). "Pro Tem Treat signs executive order within hour of finding out he's acting governor". KOKH. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
20. Cashman, Shelby (June 22, 2023), Sen. Greg Treat addresses disaster response, role as acting governor, retrieved June 23, 2023
21. https://www.publicradiotulsa.org/people/max-bryan (June 22, 2023). "Treat: Oklahoma Legislature 'stands ready' to help in Tulsa's storm recovery". Public Radio Tulsa. Retrieved June 23, 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
22. https://www.kjrh.com/kjrh-digital (June 19, 2023). "Tulsa officials hopeful for State of Emergency declaration". 2 News Oklahoma KJRH Tulsa. Retrieved June 23, 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
23. "ACTING GOVERNOR OF OKLAHOMA VISITS TULSA DURING STORM RECOVERY". News on 6.
24. https://www.kjrh.com/kjrh-digital (June 23, 2023). "Gov. Kevin Stitt visits Tulsa Friday morning, talked to 2 News". 2 News Oklahoma KJRH Tulsa. Retrieved June 24, 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
25. Bynum addresses Stitt's comments, retrieved June 24, 2023
26. Withrow, Brooke (June 20, 2023). "Third person confirmed dead after severe storms hit Oklahoma". KOCO. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
27. "For Pinnell, Oklahoma salesman is 'the job I wanted'".

External links

• Profile at Vote Smart
• Appearances on C-SPAN

Party political offices
Preceded by Todd Lamb	Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma 2018, 2022	Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Todd Lamb	Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma 2019–present	Incumbent

1. As Chief Transportation Advisor